Seven people died in traffic crashes during the 2013 Labor Day holiday weekend. Last year, there were seven fatalities. The 2013 counting period ran from 6 p.m., Friday, August 30, through 11:59 p.m., Monday, September 2, 2013. During this period, the Patrol investigated 248 traffic crashes, which included 112 injuries and five of the seven fatalities. Troopers made 119 arrests for driving while intoxicated in 2013, compared to 147 arrests last year. (Note: in 2012, troopers investigated 201 crashes, which included 144 injuries and four of the seven fatalities.)
There were zero boating fatalities over the 2013 Labor Day holiday. Troopers investigated nine boating crashes involving seven injuries. There were no drownings reported. Troopers also arrested 14 people for boating while intoxicated over the weekend. During the 2012 Labor Day weekend, officers investigated three boating crashes, which included one injury and no fatalities. One person drowned and seven people were arrested for boating while intoxicated during last year’s Labor Day weekend.
Of the five traffic crash fatalities troopers investigated, three occurred in the Troop D, Springfield, MO, area, and one each occurred in the Troop C, Weldon Spring, MO, area, and the Troop F, Jefferson City, MO, area.
There were no fatalities on Friday, August 30, 2013, during the counting period.
Three fatalities occurred on Saturday, August 31, 2013. Justin M. Rohe, 25, of St. Charles, MO, died when he failed to stop at a red signal and struck the rear passenger side of a vehicle making a left turn. Rohe was ejected from the motorcycle he was driving. The crash occurred at the intersection of Mid Rivers Mall Drive and Ohmes Road in St. Charles County. St. Charles County emergency medical services pronounced Rohe dead at the scene. The driver of the other vehicle was not injured in the crash.
Dalton W. Coe, 15, of Seneca, MO, died when the vehicle in which he was a passenger crossed the center line and the driver overcorrected. The vehicle then left the roadway, overturned, and struck a tree. Newton County Deputy Coroner Brian Artherton pronounced Coe dead at the scene. The driver and another passenger sustained moderate injuries. All three of the vehicle's occupants were wearing seat belts. The crash occurred on Gum Road south of Joplin, MO, in Newton County.
The St. Louis Police Department is investigating the remaining fatality on August 31, 2013. No further details are available.
One person died on September 1, 2013. Brandan A. Evans, 18, of Bronaugh, MO, died when the vehicle he was driving traveled off the left side of the roadway, overturned several times, and came to rest on its tires. Evans was not wearing a seat belt and was partially ejected from the vehicle. Dr. Tiffany Batiste, Freeman West Hospital, in Joplin, MO, pronounced Evans dead at the hospital. The crash occurred on Missouri Route BB, one mile south of Nevada, MO, in Vernon County. The Vernon County Sheriff's Office also responded to the scene.
Three fatalities occurred on the Labor Day holiday, Monday, September 2, 2013. Beth W. Adamson, 50, of Wichita, KS, died when the driver of the vehicle in which she was a passenger failed to stop at a stop sign. The Adamson vehicle was then struck broadside. Dr. Buchele, Freeman West Hospital in Joplin, MO, pronounced Adamson dead at the hospital. Both the driver and Adamson were wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash; the driver sustained minor injuries. The driver of the other vehicle sustained serious injuries; he was not wearing a seat belt. The crash occurred 10 miles north of Joplin, MO, on Missouri Highway 43 in Jasper County.
Melissa K. Crossland, 45, of Richland, MO, died when the driver of the vehicle in which she was a passenger failed to negotiate a curve. The vehicle then traveled off the right side of the road, struck a tree, and overturned. Neither the driver nor Crossland were wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. Camden County Medical Examiner Jaimie Wheat pronounced Crossland dead at the scene. The driver sustained serious injuries. The crash occurred in Camden County on Missouri Route A east of Seven Springs Road.
The Ste. Genevieve Police Department is investigating the remaining fatality for September 2, 2013. No further details are available.
NOTE: The fatality statistics in this news release could change if late deaths occur, if other departments report fatal traffic/boating crashes after this news release was published, or if a fatality is determined to be caused by a medical condition rather than traffic/boating incident.
